National Briefing | West: California: Man Convicted In Nine Killings

By Carolyn Marshall (NYT)

Published: June 18, 2005

After a three-month trial, a Fresno man was found guilty on nine counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of nine of his children and grandchildren, a verdict that could lead to the death penalty. The jury, which took more than two weeks to deliberate, also found the man, Marcus Wesson, guilty on 14 counts of raping and molesting seven of his daughters and nieces. Mr. Wesson, 58, who was described as a controlling patriarch, was arrested at his home in March 2004 when he surrendered to the police after an 80-minute standoff. The police found bodies in a pile inside the home.. The lawyer for Mr. Wesson, Ralph Torres, had argued that the deaths were caused by one of Mr. Wesson's daughters, Sebhrenah, 25, who then killed herself. Mr. Wesson's wife, Elizabeth, below center, who testified at the trial that he did not kill the children, broke down after the verdict. Carolyn Marshall (NYT)